Clip Art Guide: Free Sources, Legal Use, and Modern Alternatives

Remember the awkward little cartoon people in old PowerPoint presentations? That’s clip art — and it’s still around, just hiding in a different form. Today, free libraries like Openclipart and Pixabay offer thousands of royalty-free images, while modern tools such as Canva and Adobe Illustrator have turned static clip art into editable vector graphics.

Public domain clip art libraries: Openclipart, Publicdomainvectors and PDClipart all allow any use ·
Royalty-free clip art: Pixabay offers 3,000+ royalty-free clip art images ·
Public domain images from old books: over 1 million from the University of Iowa Libraries ·
Clip art definition: Pre-made graphic art since the 1980s (Wikipedia)

Four key facts, one pattern: the clip art landscape has shifted from a single Microsoft Office library to a sprawling ecosystem of public‑domain archives, commercial stock sites, and vector‑based design tools.

What is clipart called?

Origin and definition of clip art

Clip art is a collection of pre‑made graphic images designed to be inserted into documents, presentations, and other media. The term dates to the 1980s, when desktop publishing made it easy to “clip” illustrations from a library and paste them into a layout (Wikipedia, the community‑edited encyclopedia).

Synonyms and modern terms

• Vector art – scalable graphics created with paths, not pixels.
• Stock illustrations – professionally drawn images sold or licensed through stock platforms.
• Icon sets – collections of symbolic graphics (e.g., Font Awesome, Material Icons).
• Public domain clip art – images that have no copyright restrictions, often sourced from old books or government archives (University of Iowa Libraries).

The implication: the term “clip art” now covers a wider range of graphic assets than its 1980s definition, but the core idea — ready‑to‑use illustrations — remains the same.

Where do I find free clipart?

Top free clip art websites

• Openclipart – thousands of public domain images; “may be used for any purpose, including unlimited commercial productions” (Openclipart comparison chart).
• Publicdomainvectors.org – vectors where uploaders have waived copyright; users may edit, distribute, and use them for unlimited commercial purposes (Publicdomainvectors.org).
• PDClipart.org – a public domain clip art library (PDClipart.org).
• Pixabay – over 3,000 royalty‑free clip art images, released under the Pixabay Content License (CC0 equivalent) (Pixabay).
• Clker.com – hundreds of thousands of free clip art and vector images that can be downloaded or embedded anywhere at no cost (Clker).
• Wikimedia Commons – a database of freely usable media files contributed by anyone (Wikimedia Commons).

The catch: even on “free” sites, you must check the license — some require attribution or restrict commercial use.

Downloading and licensing requirements

Always verify the license before downloading. Public domain sources (like Openclipart and Publicdomainvectors) require no attribution and allow commercial use. Sites like Pixabay use a CC0‑equivalent license, but some contributors may retain rights. A University of Winnipeg Library FAQ reminds that Creative Commons materials still carry copyright, though the terms are often less restrictive than all‑rights‑reserved works.

What has replaced ClipArt?

Vector illustration software

Modern design tools have shifted from static raster images to editable vector graphics. Canva includes a built‑in clip art library that users can resize and recolor without losing quality (Canva). Adobe Illustrator offers professional vector illustration tools for creating custom clip art from scratch (Adobe).

Built‑in content in Microsoft Office

In 2020, Microsoft replaced the old Clip Art feature with the Insert Icons feature in Office 365. Users can now browse a library of scalable, royalty‑free icons directly in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (Microsoft Support).

Icon libraries and SVG graphics

Free icon sets like Font Awesome and Material Icons provide thousands of vector symbols that can be used in web design, documents, and apps. SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) has become the standard format for web‑based clip art because it scales cleanly on any screen.

The pattern: the industry has moved from “clip art as a finished product” to “clip art as a building block” — editable, scalable, and integrated into design workflows.

Three sources, one comparison: how do free clip art sites stack up against modern vector alternatives?

What app can I use to create clip art?

Canva for simplified clip art creation

Canva offers a drag‑and‑drop interface with thousands of free templates and clip art elements. You can upload your own images or use the built‑in library to create custom illustrations without any design training (Canva).

Adobe Illustrator for professional vector art

For full control over paths, shapes, and colors, Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard. It supports SVG export and is used by graphic designers to create original clip art from scratch (Adobe).

Free alternatives

• Inkscape – a free, open‑source vector editor that rivals Illustrator for basic vector creation (Inkscape).
• GIMP – a free image editor that can be used for raster clip art editing, though it lacks native vector tools (GIMP).
• Microsoft PowerPoint – you can create simple clip art using shapes, icons, and the “Group” feature — no extra software needed (Microsoft Support).

Step‑by‑step: Insert icons in Microsoft Word (2024)

1. Open Word and place your cursor where you want the icon.
2. Go to the Insert tab.
3. Click Icons (this replaced the old Clip Art button).
4. Browse the library or search for a keyword.
5. Select an icon and click Insert.
6. Resize and recolor using the Graphics Format tab that appears.

This works in Office 365 and Word 2021 onwards (Microsoft Support).

Is it legal to use free clip art?

Understanding Creative Commons licenses

Creative Commons (CC) licenses allow creators to grant some rights while retaining others. The most common for clip art are CC0 (public domain equivalent, no restrictions) and CC BY (requires attribution). A University of Winnipeg Library FAQ explains that CC materials still carry copyright, but the terms are often less restrictive than traditional all‑rights‑reserved works.

Public domain vs. royalty‑free clip art

• Public domain – no copyright, free to use for any purpose without permission or attribution. Examples: Openclipart, Publicdomainvectors, PDClipart.
• Royalty‑free – you pay once (or access for free) and can use the image multiple times without paying royalties, but restrictions on commercial use or redistribution may apply. Example: Pixabay (CC0 equivalent).
• Rights‑managed – you pay per use; not common for free clip art.

How to verify usage rights

Always check the site’s license page. For open libraries, the National University open‑license resource page recommends verifying that the site explicitly states “public domain” or “CC0” before use. Sites like Clker say “use them for anything you like,” but such statements may not be legally binding if the uploader didn’t own the rights.

“Clip art is a collection of pre‑made images used to illustrate any medium.”

Wikipedia, the community‑edited encyclopedia

“We offer over 100,000 free clip art images that can be used for any purpose.”

ClipSafari homepage

“To insert icons in Word, go to Insert > Icons.”

Microsoft Support documentation

For anyone who needs illustrations without legal headaches, public domain clip art is the clear winner. The catch: you trade a modern look for safety. For a teacher or small business owner, the safest path is to use CC0‑licensed sources like Openclipart or Pixabay, and always double‑check the license. For a designer, investing time in vector tools like Canva or Inkscape yields more professional results — and avoids the legal gray areas of ambiguous clip art.

Frequently asked questions